Gretha vs Paula
Gretha and Paulacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 1969, Gretha was ranked #444 and Paula #391 among girls in Norway.
Gretha and Paula over time
Gretha and Paula appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Gretha held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Paula in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Gretha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Paula in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Gretha and Paula changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 1969, ending at #444 and #391.
List by list
Norway · Girls24 shared years, 1945–1969
Gretha held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Paula in 4.
Highest recorded here: Gretha #122 in 1945, Paula #214 in 1949.
The order changed in 1967: Paula moved ahead. In 1966 they stood at #349 and #380; by 1967 that had become #549 and #295.
Most recent shared year, 1969: Gretha #444, Paula #391.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Gretha | Paula |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #444 (1969) | Norway · Girls #521 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Gretha and Paula both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
How each name got here
Gretha
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #122 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1969
Highest recorded position: #122 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–1969).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1969
Most recently recorded at #444 among girls in Norway, in 1969.
Norway · Girls
Paula
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #264 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1954–1984
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New Zealand, in 1970 (recorded 1954–1984).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #521 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls